


Alight

by wisdomeagle



Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffyverse
Genre: Cigarettes, Community: femslash_today, F/F, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-01-29
Updated: 2007-01-29
Packaged: 2017-10-05 02:40:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/36906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wisdomeagle/pseuds/wisdomeagle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Smoke.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alight

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the unporn battle [**here**](http://community.livejournal.com/femslash_today/53181.html).

Buffy's cigarettes smell like Spike, three years post-Sunnydale. When she leans against a wall and inhales, she can almost feel him, expects she'll hear him any moment, casually drawling, "D'ya have a light for an old flame?" before setting her on fire.

"Got a light?" Buffy startles, stubs her cigarette against the brick and lands a decent punch on the woman's jaw in one smooth motion before realizing she's not a vampire, just another starving artist on the streets of New York. Purple paint under her fingernails and a frightened flicker in her eyes distinguish her; druggies' eyes are dimmer, and vampires rarely ask Buffy for favors; she has something of what you might call a reputation.

The woman rubs her jaw but doesn't run away like a smart person might, which pisses Buffy off. She'd like to smoke alone tonight, brood about Spike and feel sorry for herself.

"Do you have a light?" the woman repeats.

Buffy nods and tosses it. "So, why aren't you beating it after I, um, beat you up?"

"I figured you had a reason, and I'm craving nicotine so badly right now I'd take a light from a vampire. I mean. If vampires were real."

She sounds like someone who knows that Buffy knows that vampires are entirely real, which means this is not the time to drop her real name. "I'm Anne."

"Nina Ash." She inhales so deeply Buffy can hear her lungs expand. "I haven't had a smoke in six months."

"Did you quit?"

"In a manner of speaking. I ran away and conveniently forgot to bring money with me."

"Clever."

"But now...." Nina takes another drag, coughs, and smiles. "Now that I've got that addiction taken care of, I can go shopping for paint brushes. Clay. Acrylics. A new boyfriend, not the same as the old boyfriend."

The dry rattle of Spike's bones fades, and the only sound in Buffy's heart is Nina's quiet cough. "Sounds plan-y." She prepares to make this moment yet another new beginning.


End file.
